The smallest state in America has a capital city with plenty of big ideas, a lot of very smart and creative people, and a happening nightlife. Home to an Ivy League college, one of the best design schools in the country, and a major culinary institute, Providence sure packs a big punch for such a small city. The city boasts Brown University, ranking #6 in the University subcategory among all large U.S. cities. It also boasts plenty of fresh air to go along with the fresh perspectives of academia. Start your ramble at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, which offers a collection featuring some 84,000 artifacts from ancient Rome, Egypt and Greece, as well as modern Eames furniture and Frank Lloyd Wright stained-glass windows. Brown University’s historic campus on 18th-century College Hill is not far, and you can wander the tree-lined streets where an impressive collection of beautiful Georgian-style homes sit side by side.